The Dreaming Damsel (La Damoisele qui songoit) Translation by

The Dreaming Damsel (La Damoisele qui songoit)
Translation by Ned Dubin
De la damoiselle qui songoit
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Une damoisele sonjoit
que uns bachelers qui l’amoit,
vestuz d’une cote de pers,
venoit d’entort & de travers
& avoeques li se couchoit.
Ausi comme en songes estoit,
en va celui en sa meson
si c’onques ne l’i oï on,
tant quist que il trova son lit:
gros avoit & quarré le vit
& molt ert cointes, liez & baut.
Il joinst les piez & fet .i. saut
el lit ou ele se dormoit.
Li pautoniers qui vit a roit
la prent & la corbe & l’embronche,
& cele dort toz jors & fronche.
.III. foiz l’a foutue en dormant
que ne se mut ne tant ne quant,
mes aprés la quarte s’esveille.
Or orrez une grant merveille:
les ieus ouvri, si le choisi,
gete les poins, si le saisi.
« Estez! fet el, vous estes pris!
Devant l’evesque de Paris
vous covient venir droiturier.
Qui vous fist mon parc depecier
sanz congié quant je me dormoie?
Si me doinst Dieus que je revoie
pere ne mere que je aie!
Trop estes de male manaie,
qui si m’avez despucelee—
je ne serai mes marïee!
Mes or me fetes autrestant
quant je veille comme en dormant,
quar je ne sai, en moie foi,
come vous getez les cops le roi
la ou le mal aus dames tient;
je dormoie, ne m’en sovient.
Esploitiez tost! Je vous donrai
d’une mieue toile que j’ai
chemise & braies orendroit.
Male honte Dieus li envoit
The Dreaming Damsel
It happened while a damsel dreamt
how a young man who loved her went
a roundabout and secret way,
clad in rich purple, where she lay
and lay beside her while she slept.
Just as in her dream, that man crept
in silence, so he’d not arouse
a living soul, into her house
and searched until he had located
her bedroom, lusty and elated,
his sturdy prick swollen to pump.
Flexing his legs, he makes a jump
in the bed where she lay in slumber.
The rascal with his stiffened member
takes hold and bends her back and scores,
while she sleeps through it all and snores.
Three times he fucked her in her sleep;
she neither moved nor made a peep,
but after the fourth she awoke.
Now hear me out—it’s a good joke!
She opened her eyes and caught sight
of him, grabbed him and held him tight.
“Desist!” she says. “Now you are caught.
In Paris, at the bishop’s court
you’ll answer to my deposition.
I was asleep. By whose permission
did you presume to breach my lists?
I hope and pray that God permits
me not to have to face my parents!
A victor ought to show forbearance.
You’ve taken my virginity—
what man on earth will marry me?
Now do it all again, except
I’ll be alert—last time I slept
and so, in faith, I don’t know just
how well you ride in royal thrust
where ladies are dealt injury.
I slept and have no memory
of it. Spur quickly! You’ll be paid
with leggings and a tunic made
out of a bolt of cloth I own.
God sends shame to the man who’s prone
Dubin, Fabliaux Translations
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qui ne gaaingne quant il puet!
Fetes tost, quar fere l’estuet!
— Par foi, fet cil, ma douce amie,
je ai bien vo requeste oïe,
si le ferai, si m’aït Dieus,
tant que il vous en sera mieus! »
Lors l’avoit prise a la torcoise,
si le rembronche & si l’entoise
comme baron; d’iluec eschape,
& cil lest corre, si le frape,
mes ne vaut rien que bien se tient.
« Por nient, fet ele, ne vous crient:
il n’avra garde a ceste empointe
se estiiez encor plus cointe
que vous n’estes de la moitié,
por ce que vous etes poingnié
& je sui encontre ce blonde.
Por qoi passastes vous l’esponde
quant je me dormoie en mon lit?
Cuidiez vous de vostre grant vit
avoir moi si estoutoïe?—
je sui encor saine & haitie
plus que vous, au mien escïent!
Se contre vous ne me desfent,
dont sui je pire que ribaude—
vous en avrez ja une chaude!
Or fetes tost, si alez jus;
je revoeil ore aler desus.
Ce n’est pas, ce m’est avis, honte
quant homme faut, se fame monte. »
Ainsi torna son songe a bien.
Autressi face a moi le mien
& a ces dames qui ci sont!
Le premier qu’eles troveront
soit autretel comme cil fu:
molt lor seroit bien avenu!
to quit the field that can be won.
Since you’re compelled to joust, go on!”
“Indeed,” he answers, “sweetest lady,
so help me God, I’ve heard. I’m ready
to join the fray as you’ve requested
and tilt with you until you’re bested.”
He pinions her in single combat
and topples her, and strives to come at
her valiantly, but it slips out.
He bears down again, lays about,
but all his efforts come to naught.
“You’re not as fearsome as I thought,
for this assault needs no defense.
Though you had half again your strength,”
she tells him, “still you could not rattle
me—you’ve been in the thick of battle,
and I am lusty for the clash.
How did you dare to be so rash
as, while I slept, to cross my bed?
You think your big prick such a threat
to leave me vanquished and unseated?
I’m hardy and still undefeated,
more so than you are, by and large.
If I cannot confront your charge,
I’m worse than those who fight on foot.
En garde! I’ll give it to you good!
Now down you go. Quick, hurry up,
because I mean to be on top!
There’s no shame, when a man is downed,
I think, to have the woman mount.”
Thus did her dream of love come true.
May my dream benefit me, too,
and please all of the ladies present!
May their next dream be just as pleasant
as that of which you heard me tell—
they’d say that Fortune treats them well!
Explicit de la damoisele qui sonjoit
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30.
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37.
39-41.
Ecclesiastical courts had jurisdiction over sexual infractions.
I translate these jousting terms literally. Figuratively, she means “deflower me.”
Estre de male menaie = to strike a wounded opponent.
An unknown term, but roi conjures up roit (“stiff”).
O le mal tient would be one’s opponent’s weak spot.
The damsel would certainly not offer such a gift to a suitor and a man of station!
Dubin, Fabliaux Translations
43. Literally, “who does not win whatever he can.” She equates the gift she’s promised him
with the ransom paid to the opponent who captures you in a tournament.
49-53. Since we can only hypothesize what most of the jousting terms mean (especially a la
torcoise―the next two verbs refer to hand-to-hand combat, and the two after that mean
“retreat” and “attack”), we can at best guess at what actions the sexual metaphors stand
for. It is therefore impossible to tell exactly what who does to whom. Noomen emends
prise to pris and makes the girl the subject of that verb and of rembronche, entoise and se
tient, and the man the subject of eschape, lest corre and frape. I think that the defiant
speech she makes him after this initial onslaught suggests that he is the subject of all
seven verbs, and prefer to keep the text as it appears in the ms. and let my imagination
run wild.
59. Blonde probably has a specific meaning in jousting, but we do not know it. As well as
suggesting the color of her hair, it can also mean “susceptible, responsive.”
62. Noomen points out that had one’s choice of weapons, including the shape and weight of
the lance tip.
67. Ribaude means both “a person not of the knightly caste” (who therefore has no business
fighting in a tournament) and “slut.”
© Ned Dubin